Rio, 24 February 2020. Dandara is preparing to parade in the Sambodrome for the first time, Tainá is helping to organise the event and Ronildo is looking forward to spending one last mad night with a bate-bola*. But in the Cidade Maravilhosa, seduction, chance and violence can derail even the best-laid plans…

* Bate-bola: Carnival group from the underprivileged areas of Rio’s western and northern zones

It has been launched on 24 August 2024 in Brazil!

O Grande Dia was included in the Weekly List of the prestigious literary magazine Quatrocincoum, on February 3, 2025

“The author addresses important issues in a light and interesting. Owner of a fluid and engaging writing, it keeps the reader hooked on the plot, I simply couldn’t stop reading.”

@maeliteratura

 

“The most impressive thing is how the author constructed a plot that captures so well the reality of Rio de Janeiro. He not only delved into the world of samba schools, but also brought to the pages the contrast between the grandeur of Carnival and the difficulties faced by the city’s residents. In just a few pages, O Grande Dia shows how social inequalities, violence and abuse of power permeate the lives of so many Brazilians. But it also highlights the strength, resilience and passion of a people who, despite everything, continue to fight and celebrate.

A quick but impactful read, which took me by surprise and made me reflect. I highly recommend it!”

@lemoslemas

 

“Dear author, thank you for for giving me a new meaning to Carnival. Thank you, above all, for showing me that social cut-outs are not just a state of birth, social cut-outs are life, someone’s life, someone’s dream, someone’s future. Through your writing I have been able to taste the flavour of a dream that for me was merely a leaflet. Now I know that it’s about the existence and resistance of people who move the wheels of this country. Who would have thought that it would be a Swiss man who would make me see a part of this country’s culture through different eyes? I know how grateful you are to Brazil, but please know that this Brazilian woman who is speaking to you is grateful for the honour of having access to your extremely captivating writing and for all that you represent.
Thank you ❤️”

@umtocdelivros

« I loved this read! It really is a Carnival odyssey, with many unexpected events, reality checks and good humor! I was impressed and very pleased with the ending!”

@retratodaleitora

“All of this unfolds in a fluid narrative. Fast, even. Since the book takes place in such a short period of time, the action is constant, movement is the hallmark of Cormon’s novelistic characters. But it is not a movement that scares or prevents more reflective actions.”

Listas literárias

 

The author describes, in great detail, the difficulties that residents of favelas face on a daily basis. Violence, abuse of power by authorities, prejudices, class differences. He addresses all of these themes with a raw and realistic writing style, highlighting the importance of Carnival for these people.

The book surprised me in a very positive way. I live in a favela, and I can say that Pierre Cormon was precise and accurate in his narrative. »

@drii_book_cafe

 

“The author is able to clearly demarcate how the logic that separates the people of the favelas from the people of the residential neighbourhoods works and how Carnival introduces, even if only for a short time, a new logic of access to the city. The Cidade Maravilhosa becomes a big stage and the coloured and peripheral people are the protagonists.”

@rafaelmussolini

 

“I thought I would find a story focused on Rio’s carnival, but the author brought much more than that (…). The story of Dandara and Ronildo really touched me.”

@leiturasdageh

 

“A charming and courageous book about a carnival day in Rio de Janeiro”

@leioeresenho

 

“I think it’s sensational (…). The main character, Dandara, goes through an odyssey in the city of Rio de Janeiro, with the greatest diversity of things, the greatest diversity of experiences. It’s worth it.”

Radio Arquibancada

 

“One of the few novels whose plot revolves around a samba school parade”

Carnavalesco

Caraca! What a night! Sitting on the floor, his back against a wooden crate next to his cousin Chico, his head still spinning and his stomach churning with hunger, Ronildo tried to sort out his memories. He and Chico had wanted to enter the bate-bola da Sereia for years. Probably Uncle Ataulfo’s influence. “The bate-bola is the true carnival tradition,” he used to say. “The parades of the samba schools have become shows for tourists, as have many carnival blocks. But bate-bola is our thing. It comes from the people, it exists only for them and through them.

Raising money for the costumes had not been easy. The owner of the body shop where Ronildo had worked for two years had nothing to offer him. “It’s a big crisis for everyone,” he explained. “I know you do a good job and I’d have liked to keep you on. But if there are no more customers, I don’t need the best bodybuilder in the world.” Ronildo and Chico had found odd jobs here and there. They carried boxes to the supply centre in Irajá, sacks of cement to construction sites in the neighbourhood, made a few deliveries for shopkeepers and sold cakes on the street.

Still, what they earned was far from enough. Some of the money went to their families’ expenses, and there was little left. Ronildo tried to borrow what he needed from several people, but to no avail. Their families couldn’t afford to help; they were already struggling with grandfather’s medical bills. Neither could friends and neighbours help – or so they said. It was only when it became clear that there was no other solution that Ronildo decided to go and see Marlon Brando, without telling anyone what he was doing.